Watertown bodybuilder sentenced to prison in steroid ring

A Watertown bodybuilder is heading to prison for a year and a day after being sentenced in federal court on several charges.

Steve Bagley, staff writer

A Watertown bodybuilder is heading to prison after being sentenced in federal court on several charges, which were the results of months of investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Jonathan DeProspo, 22, is headed to prison for a year, the Department of Justice said in a press release.

DeProspo’s sentence was announced in a Sept. 24 press release from the DOJ. After months of investigation by the IRS’s Criminal Investigations division along with the DEA, DeProspo is being sent to prison for a year and a day on charges of conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to possess anabolic steroids with intent to distribute, possession of anabolic steroids with intent to distribute, and money laundering.

In a February hearing, the DOJ said, DeProspo pleaded guilty to the above charges.

In January, DeProspo’s brother Justin, both bodybuilders, pleaded guilty to similar charges, the Department of Justice said. Had the court proceeded to trial, the DOJ said, evidence would have demonstrated that the DeProspo brothers “ran an anabolic steroid distribution business.”

Back in May, it was reported as part of their investigation into the DeProspo brothers’ illegal steroid ring, that the IRS sent undercover agents to purchase steroids from the brothers. A report from the Waltham Daily News noted the investigation into the DeProspos kicked off after an Aug. 30, 2006 arrest.

That night, the Daily News wrote, Waltham Police found Matthew Mann, of Manchester N.H., unconscious with a pile of burnt dollar bills on the floor in a stairway at the Westin Hotel on Third Avenue. Police later found Justin DeProspo and a large amount of drugs in Mann’s hotel room.

During a taped conversation with an undercover agent, the Daily News reported, Justin DeProspo revealed “he had been involved in the steroid business for over four years and has two to three different steroid sources and tons of customers,” court documents revealed.

Bodybuilders.com, a prominent weight training web site, said in May the DeProspo brothers were avid trainers. In one blog post, Jonathan DeProspo explicitly mentions his use of steroids.

After Jonathan DeProspo’s prison time, he will serve three years of supervised release.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.